Rubredoxin, mesophilic

D. C. Rees, unpublished results, 1995) that complements structures at low and room temperatures. The slopes of these lines divided by the atomic volume yield the coefficient of thermal expansion, which is 10 K for these proteins, similar to the results of solution studies. To first order, there appears little difference in the thermal expansion behavior of mesophilic and hyperthermophilic proteins, at least between liquid nitrogen and room temperatures. There is a hint that the volume of buried atoms in the P. furiosus rubredoxin may not increase as rapidly at higher temperatures, but this remains to be established confidently. Undoubtedly, further woik is needed to address the thermal properties of hyperthermophilic proteins and whether this has any relationship to stability. 

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